Two Jailed After Alleged Fuel Theft, Hit-&-Run Near Royal City

Two men are in jail after police in Grant County say they stole fuel from a rural farm and willfully damaged the property owner's vehicle.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to reports of a theft in progress in the 11000 block of Road 9 Southwest near Royal City at around 4 a.m. on Friday (Dec. 12).

Get our free mobile app

Upon arriving at the scene, the property owner reportedly informed deputies that he'd caught two men in the act stealing gasoline from a pump.

The property owner then detailed that when the men fled in a pickup truck, he pursued them in his vehicle and attempted to block them in. At which point, the suspects allegedly slammed into the property owner's vehicle and drove away.

Deputies managed to locate the suspect's pickup a short time later on Adams Road and the two men - 31-year-old Adrian Mendoza-Calderon of Mattawa and 41-year-old Sarafin Rangel-Sambrano of Independence, Ore. were arrested and booked into the Grant County Jail on suspicion of first-degree malicious mischief and third-degree theft.

Mendoza-Calderon is also facing additional charges linked to three outstanding arrest warrants and hit-and-run.